.
. WELCOME
. WELCOME BACK TO PIKE PLACE MARKET.
YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN COMING HERE
FOR YEARS AND IF YOU'RE LIKE ME
YOU MAY WONDER WHAT HAS CHANGED
SINCE THE MARKET OPENED IN
NINETEEN EIGHTY SEVEN.
OF COURSE WE WENT THE MAN WHO
ALWAYS SEEMS TO KNOW THE
HISTORY OF EVERYTHING HIS
HISTORIAN FELIX BANAL.
SEATTLE WAS A MUCH DIFFERENT
PLACE IN THOSE DAYS I THINK THE
POPULATION IN NINETEEN HUNDRED
WAS ABOUT EIGHTY THOUSAND 1910
THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE TWO
HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND SO
IT WAS IF WE THINK THE GROWTH
WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING LATELY
WAS CRAZY IT WAS EVEN CRAZIER
MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
BUT IT WAS A BIG CITY.
PEOPLE NEEDED TO BUY FOOD AND
THE MARKET WAS AWAY FOR THE
CONSUMER TO CONNECT DIRECTLY
WITH THE FARMER.
SO MANY PEOPLE LOVED THE
FARMERS AND THE PEOPLE BUYING
THE PRODUCE THAT BY NOVEMBER
OF NINETEEN EIGHTY SEVEN THEY
BUILT THE FIRST BUILDING AND IT
BECAME THIS SORT OF REGULATED
THING THAT PEOPLE CAME TO
EXPECT AS A WAY TO GET REALLY
GREAT FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE AS
INEXPENSIVELY AS POSSIBLE BY
ABOUT NINETEEN TWENTY TWO IS
WHEN THE MARKET THAT WE
EXPERIENCED TODAY PRETTY MUCH
LOOK THE WAY IT DOES NOW APART
FROM THAT NEON SIGN WHICH CAME
IN NINETEEN THIRTY SEVEN.
BUT THE BASIC BUILDINGS THE
BASIC LOOK AND FEEL WAS PRETTY
MUCH THERE BY NINETEEN TWENTY
TWO.
SO WHAT'S THAT'S THAT'S ALMOST
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND
THAT'S THE THING ABOUT PIKE
PLACE MARKET I THINK
SEATTLEITES MAYBE DON'T REALIZE
THIS BUT I THINK PEOPLE
AUTOMATICALLY APPRECIATE IT.
IT'S AUTHENTIC AND I LOVE THAT
DYNAMISM BECAUSE MOST TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS YOU KNOW I DON'T GO
TO THE SPACE NEEDLE EVERY WEEK
TO PICK UP A BAG OF GROCERIES
BUT I WOULD GO TO THE MARKET
AND YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF THAT
WONDERFUL INTERMIX OF PEOPLE
FROM FAR AWAY AND YOUR
DIFFERENT ACCENTS, DIFFERENT
LANGUAGES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
HURRYING LIKE ME TO GET MY
BRUSSELS SPROUTS OR WHATEVER
BUT THEN PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST
THERE BECAUSE THEY KNOW THIS IS
THE HEART OF THE CITY.
WELL, YOU LITERALLY FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE MAKING ME SMILE FROM EAR
TO EAR RIGHT NOW.
YOU JUST PERFECTLY DESCRIBE WHY
I LOVE GOING DOWN THERE AND YOU
MENTIONED THAT THE SIGN CAME IN
IN NINETEEN THIRTY SEVEN AND
JUST A FEW YEARS LATER THOUGH,
WORLD WAR TWO BROKE OUT.
WHAT DID THAT MEAN FOR THE
MARKET?
WELL I MEAN THAT'S ONE OF THE
DARKER CHAPTERS IN OUR LOCAL
HISTORY WHEN IN NINETEEN FORTY
TWO JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE
INCARCERATED BECAUSE THERE WAS
A PERCEIVED THREAT BECAUSE WE
WERE AT WAR WITH JAPAN AFTER
PEARL HARBOR SOMETHING LIKE 90
PERCENT OF THE FARMERS WHO ARE
BRINGING THEIR PRODUCE TO THE
MARKET IN THE LATE 30S AND
EARLY 40S WERE OF JAPANESE
DESCENT OR WERE JAPANESE
AMERICAN AND THEN WHEN THEY
WENT WERE CARTED AWAY AND PUT
IN CAMPS IN THE INLAND PARTS
OF THE NORTHWEST THE MARKET IT
REALLY CHANGED.
A LOT OF FARMERS HAD TO STEP
UP.
THE MARKET REALLY WAS DARK
THERE FOR A WHILE IN THOSE
EARLY PART OF WORLD WAR TWO.
IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT IT IS
SO MUCH FULLER, MORE BEAUTIFUL.
WE'RE ALL TOGETHER AND WHAT A
DARK TIME.
LET'S MOVE ON TO SOME MORE
LIGHT ENLIGHTENED TIMES.
LET'S GO TO THE SIXTIES NOW.
WHAT DID THE MARKET LOOK LIKE?
SO THE MARKET STARTED TO LOOK
KIND OF TIRED BY THE TIME YOU
GET TO THE LATE 1950S BECAUSE
IN THE EARLY EARLY 1960S THERE
WAS A PROPOSAL FLOATED TO RIP
OUT THE MARKET IN THE SPIRIT
OF URBAN RENEWAL AND PUT IN
SOMETHING CALLED PICH PLAZA
WOULD HAVE BEEN A PARKING
GARAGE, AN OFFICE TOWER.
IT TOOK ABOUT A DECADE FOR
THOSE TO BE COMPLETELY WASHED
AWAY GETTING VICTOR STEINBRUECK
A FAMOUS LOCAL ARCHITECT.
HE SAW THAT THE MARKET WAS THE
HEART AND SOUL OF THE CITY.
HE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO
GENERATE PUBLIC SUPPORT TO GET
THE CITY INVOLVED AND BECOME
SORT OF A PART OWNER OF THE
MARKET AND THERE WAS PUBLIC
BALLOT IN NINETEEN SEVENTY ONE
I THINK THAT WAS A TWO TO ONE
MARGIN WITH PEOPLE SAYING YES,
LET'S INVEST PUBLIC DOLLARS,
LET'S SAVE THIS THING, LET'S
MOVE TO THE SEVENTIES AND WHILE
WE DO I'M GOING TO TAKE A SIP
OF THIS COFFEE BECAUSE A VERY
FAMOUS COFFEE SHOP OPENED UP
THERE IN THE SEVENTIES, ISN'T
THAT RIGHT?
YEAH, IT'S NOT IN THE SPOT
WHERE IT IS TODAY BUT YEAH, THE
FIRST STARBUCKS WAS DOWN RIGHT
AROUND WESTERN AVENUE AND
VIRGINIA STREET AND MADE SENSE
TO HAVE A COFFEE SHOP.
WHERE DO YOU PUT IT WHERE
PEOPLE ARE WALKING AROUND WHERE
PEOPLE HAVE TIME TO STOP AND
GET SOMETHING TO DRINK AND
LET'S GO TO THE NINETEEN
EIGHTIES.
WE GOT A VERY SPECIAL PRESENCE
AT THAT POINT RIGHT?
YES.
I MEAN TELL ABOUT PHOTO
OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND EVERYWHERE
AT THE PIKE PLACE MARKET
WHETHER YOU'RE STANDING UP ON
FIRST AVENUE TO HAVE THAT SORT
OF CITY FISH MARKET SIGN IN THE
BACKGROUND OF THE PUBLIC MARKET
SIGN IN THE BACKGROUND BUT THE
BEST PLACE TO DO A PHOTOGRAPH
OF YOURSELF OR YOUR FAMILY IS
RACHEL THE PIG, A BIG BRONZE
SCULPTURE RAISES MONEY FOR THE
PIKE PLACE MARKET FOUNDATION
INSTALLED BACK IN NINETEEN
EIGHTY SIX.
I LOVE HOW SHINY IT IS WHERE
PEOPLE HAVE CLIMBED ON IT OR
RUBBED IT.
IT'S LIKE IT'S GOT THIS AMAZING
PATINA THAT I'M SURE IT DIDN'T
HAVE WHEN IT WAS BRAND NEW IS
IT'S GOT DECADES OF PEOPLE
WANTING TO TOUCH THIS MAGICAL
PIG IN TWO THOUSAND ONE YOU
HAVE THE NISQUALLY EARTHQUAKE
WHICH ULTIMATELY LED TO THE
DEMISE OF THE VIADUCT WHICH
WENT AWAY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO
AND THAT HELPED LAUNCH THIS
WHOLE NEW PLAN OF BUILDING
THESE MARKET FRONT STEPS THAT
WILL CONNECT THE MARKET DOWN TO
THE WATERFRONT IN THE NOT TOO
DISTANT FUTURE AND THE
WATERFRONT PROJECT WHICH IS
STILL GOING ON IT WILL TAKE
YEARS TO COMPLETE.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR
GRANDKIDS, OUR GREAT GRANDKIDS
WILL TALK ABOUT AND WE'LL GET
CREDIT FOR HAVING THE INSIGHT
TO SUPPORT THAT AND TO DO
SOMETHING BOLD WITH THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL FRONT PORCH IN ANY
CITY HAS IN THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
ELLIOTT BAY, WHAT A FABULOUS
PLACE TO TAKE VISITORS.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT THE
MARKET IN SEATTLE DID IT
BECOMES PART OF OUR HISTORY
FOREVER AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO
PRESERVE IT.
THE BEST THING ABOUT THE
PLACE
PLACE MARKET IS THAT IT IS EVER CHANGING NEW VENDORS COME IN NEW STORES COME AND GO.
I MEAN THERE'S A LIFE CYCLE